7 Amazing Types of CNC Pipe Joint Components You Need to Know: Learn How They Work and Why They Matter

About CNC Pipe Joint Components

A pipe fitting is a threaded fitting with various shapes available for creating various plumbing configurations. Ties, elbows, y-fittings, couplings, and reducers are examples of pipe fittings.

Plumbing and pipe configurations are joined by pipe fittings. If you were to completely plumb your home, you would require pipe fittings at various locations so that the water supply could branch off or curve along with it to go around a corner.

Making pipe joint components by CNC machining is a process that involves cutting and shaping metal pipes to fit together in various ways. 

To make pipe joint components by CNC machining, you need to design the parts using CAD software and choose the appropriate material, tooling, and machining parameters. You also need to consider the type of connection, the pressure rating, the corrosion resistance, and the dimensional accuracy of the pipe joints. Some of the advantages of CNC machining for pipe joint components are high precision, repeatability, speed, and flexibility.

One example of a CNC-machined pipe joint component is a hose joint. A hose joint is a type of pipe joint that connects a flexible hose to a rigid pipe or another hose. Hose joints are mainly buckled hose joints, which use a metal sleeve to clamp the hose onto the joint. Hose joints can be made from various materials, such as brass, stainless steel, aluminum, or plastic.

Hose joints are widely used in the automobile industry for fuel lines, brake lines, cooling systems, and air conditioning systems

7 Types of Pipe Joint Components and CNC Techniques

Pipe joints are integral to any piping system as the length of the pipe is limited. Therefore, pipe joints are required for a continuous piping network. Additionally, the weakest parts of a piping network are typically these pipe joints. Therefore, how well the piping or plumbing system actually functions varies depending on how durable the technique used to form the joint is. 

The design and selection of a proper type of pipe joints can have a major impact on the initial installed cost. Also, the long-term operating and maintenance cost and the performance of the piping system are dependent on piping joints. 

There are various factors that must be considered in the pipe joint selection:

• Material cost
• Installation labor cost
• Degree of leakage integrity required
• Periodic maintenance requirement
• Specific performance requirements.

Additionally, the pipe joint selection should meet the applicable code requirements.

There are 7 Different Types of Pipe Joints included:

1. Threaded joint

A threaded joint is a method of joining pipes that involve screwing into threads that are already present in the pipe. While the other pipe has external threads, one of the pipes has internal threads. For non-critical, low-pressure, low-temperature applications like domestic water, fire protection, industrial cooling water systems, etc., threaded piping joints are ideal. Such pipe joints are moderately productive and relatively simple to install.

Galvanized pipes and fittings are frequently used with threaded construction in domestic water and drainage applications. Where maintenance or the process necessitates frequent disassembly and reassembly, a screwed piping system is a good option. Keep in mind that threaded pipe joints must only be used within the guidelines of the applicable code.

2. Welded joint (butt welded, socket welded)

The most frequent type of pipe joint used in big commercial, institutional, and industrial systems is butt welding. Due to the smooth and continuous interior surface of a butt-welded piping system, this pipe joining causes a low-pressure drop.

For applications involving large-bore pipes and high temperatures and pressures, butt-welded pipe joints are preferred. 

3. Brazed and Soldered joint

Copper and copper-alloy piping systems are frequently joined together using brazing and soldering joints. Steel and aluminum pipe and tubing can also be brazed. Molten filler metal must be added to both the brazing and soldering joining processes, and it is drawn into the joint by capillary action. The parts are then joined together by this metal solidifying. To prevent the parent pipe from melting, the pipe material’s melting point must be higher than that of the filler material of choice.

Joints that are brazed and soldered offer excellent leakage integrity and installation efficiency. Brazed and soldered joints are frequently used in installations for high-purity pneumatic control systems and medical gases. 

4. Grooved joint

For applications involving low-pressure drainage, ambient temperature service water, and fire protection systems, grooved joints are frequently used. Both installing and uninstalling them is fairly simple.

With the aid of sockets or couplings, two pipes are joined together in these piping joints by creating grooves at their ends. They typically offer good leakage integrity and are axial misalignment-tolerant. The joint can’t separate under pressure because of the grooved design.

5. Compression joint

For joining plain piping ends without any end preparations, compression joints are frequently used. Such pipe joints have a limited capacity to accommodate angular misalignment and thermal expansion. Compression joints can be used to connect pipes made of various materials.

Compression joints are used in instrument and control tubing installations and applications where high seal integrity and simple assembly and disassembly are desired.

6. Flanged Joint

Flanged connections are widely used in all contemporary piping and pipeline systems due to how simple they are to assemble and disassemble. However, they are expensive because of the high cost of the flanges themselves and the labor involved in bolting the flanges to the pipe. For all high-pressure and high-temperature applications, flanged joints are used. 

7. Threaded joint

Due to their ease of assembly and disassembly, flanged connections are widely used in all modern piping and pipeline systems. But because of the high cost of the flanges themselves and the labor required to bolt the flanges to the pipe, they are expensive. 

Flanged joints are used in all high-pressure and high-temperature applications. 

Benefits of CNC Precision Pipe Joint Components

CNC precision pipe joint components are parts that connect pipes and other components in a precise and reliable way. CNC stands for computer numerical control, which means that the machining process is controlled by a computer program. CNC precision machining has many benefits, such as:

• Reduced cost of production: CNC machines can produce complex and accurate parts with less waste and less human error. CNC machines can also operate 24/7, which increases productivity and efficiency
• Increased speed: CNC machines can perform multiple operations simultaneously, such as drilling, milling, turning, and cutting. This reduces the time needed to complete a part and improves the delivery time
• Allows for rapid and cost-effective prototyping: CNC machines can quickly create prototypes from digital models, which can help test the functionality and design of a part before mass production. CNC machines can also use various materials and processes to create different types of prototypes.

CNC precision pipe joint components are essential for ensuring the performance and safety of many applications. They can provide solid connection, strong sealability, reasonable size, low-pressure loss, and good process performance

If you are looking for a reliable CNC machining service provider that can deliver high-quality pipe joint components, you can check out TDB Tech Machining, a leading online manufacturing platform that offers fast and affordable CNC machining solutions.

FQAs about About CNC Pipe Joint Components

How do you know which pipe fitting you need?

The type of pipe fitting you need depends on what kind of pipe you’re already using in your plumbing configuration. If you have a copper tubing running through your house, you need copper fittings. If you have CPVC pipe, then you need PVC fittings. If you have PEX tubing, you might need a variety of different PEX fittings or some kind of material compatible with PEX. The right pipe fitting for the job also depends on its compatibility with the fluid that runs through the application.

Is a pipe fitting measured by ID or OD?

ID stands for inner diameter. You measure the inner diameter to size NPT pipe fittings. You won’t get a precise measurement if you put a ruler up to it, but it is measured by the inner diameter.

What is NPT thread size?

NPT stands for national type tapered, which means the fitting threads taper in. When you thread the fitting in, it compresses against the other threads. You need Teflon tape to thread these together. To better understand thread sizing, please check out our article on how to determine pipe thread size and thread type.

Can pipe fittings be reused?

Yes, pipe fittings can be unscrewed and re-screwed into any other plumbing configuration, provided it has the right sealant in it like pipe dope or Teflon tape.